BAHAWALPUR: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Sirajul Haq lashed out at corrupt elements among politicians and state institutions, who he said were mentioned in the Panama Papers and Pandora Leaks and wasted Pakistan’s precious 75 years.

Addressing a workers’ convention at Dera Izzat on Saturday, the JI chief regretted that at least 80 million people of the country were forced to live below the poverty line. He claimed that finance minister Ishaq Dar had admitted his failure to reset the country’s falling economy, which, he said, was due to the “slavery of IMF and World Bank”.

Mr Haq criticised the PPP, PTI and PML-N, holding the parties responsible for continuing the interest-based economy of the country and for the injustices being meted out to the masses by the courts. In this connection, he also referred to the judgement in Naqibullah Mahsud’s murder case and the acquittal of SSP Rao Anwaar in Karachi.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2023